The Birthday She'll Never Forget
by horsejumper127
Summary: Martha and the Doctor venture onto a beautiful planet for Martha's birthday, but things take a turn for the worst when Martha is injured and they are caught outside after dark. Fluffy one shot!


**A/N: Just a little fluff between the Doctor and Martha. Enjoy!**

Martha was running, running as fast as she could, but it wasn't enough. The Doctor was a few steps in front of her, beckoning her forward, but she could run no faster.

"I'm sorry, Doctor... I'm sorry," she choked out before it ripped into her.

_Two_ _hours_ _earlier..._

"Oh, Doctor, this planet is absolutely _beautiful!_" Martha gushed happily, completely overwhelmed by the vivid colors and echoing sounds of wildlife in the air. "These trees... purple! They're purple!" she laughed happily.

The Doctor smiled a big toothy grin at his companion's childlike wonder. "Incredible, isn't it?"

"You haven't got any idea how... _fantastic_ this whole thing is!"

"Now Martha Jones, I present to you the Falls of Sko," the Doctor said with a dramatic wave of his hand. Martha's eyes nearly popped out of her head. It was truly the most magnificent thing she had ever seen. Pink water flowed beautifully over glistening goldenrod stones, and the setting red sun above cast a gentle glow on the calm water at the base of the waterfall.

"It's amazing... by far the most beautiful place we've ever been to," she said with a small smile. "It's perfect."

"Happy birthday, Martha," the Doctor said with a smile as he wrapped his long arms around her and pulled her into a firm hug.

"This has got to be the best birthday I've ever had, and I've had a lot of birthdays... well, not _a lot_ of birthdays, but... oh you get the point!" Martha laughed and the Doctor quickly joined in.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we should start heading back to the TARDIS. Sko may  
be beautiful, is but it isn't a very hospitable place once the sun sets," the Doctor explained.

"I can't thank you enough for this... this is definitely a birthday I'll never forget," Martha said blissfully as she set off alongside the Doctor.

The pair strolled along happily, making small talk and laughing quietly. After walking for what seemed like hours, the Doctor stopped.

"We should have made it to the TARDIS by now," he said matter-of-factly. "And judging by the light, we have exactly seven and a quarter minutes until the animals of Sko begin to come out."

"Doctor, are we lost?" Marta said with a hint of worry in her generally steady voice.

"Not… lost, per say, we've just been misplaced, that's all," the Doctor said reassuringly.

As the pair continued wandering and the sun continued setting, the wildlife grew even more restless.

Marta finally spoke up to break the deafening silence. "Doctor, are you sure you know where we're going?"

"Absolutely... well _mostly_... well _kind of..._" he replied quickly. "But we have to be close..." he muttered to himself as an afterthought.

Suddenly, a very large two-headed dog stepped into the Doctor and Martha's path. Foam hung in long, slimy tendrils from the corners of each of its mouths.

The Doctor threw his arms out in front of Martha to stop her. "Don't move," he said under his breath.

Both of the dog's heads let out a vicious snarl.

"Actually it would probably be best if we RUN!"

Both of them turned and bolted as quickly as they could. The dog didn't waste time in following them. They plowed through the thick underbrush, stumbling over lumpy roots in the darkness.

And then she fell.

The Doctor stumbled to a halt as quickly as he could and screamed at Martha to hurry. She leapt to her feet as fast as possible and picked up a swift jog behind the Doctor once more, but he was too far ahead. No matter how fast she ran she could not catch up.

"I'm sorry, Doctor... I'm sorry." And it tore in to her flesh.

"MARTHA!" The Doctor screamed as she fell to the ground in agony. He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and the high pitched whine stunned the dog just long enough for him to swoop in and grab Martha.

Blood gushed from the deep wound in her leg and her face was drained of color. Though she was only half conscious, a pained moan slipped through her slightly parted lips.

"I'm sorry... I'm so so sorry," the Doctor whispered to her as he took off running with her in his arms bridal style.

Moments later, the TARDIS came in to view and the Doctor nearly whooped with joy. He fumbled with the key and momentarily wished he could open the doors with a snap of his fingers.

The snarling dog was only a few feet away when the Doctor finally shoved open the TARDIS doors and stammered inside. He slammed the door shut, gasping for breath.

"Oh, Martha," he sighed upon seeing the puddle of blood already forming by his feet. The Doctor headed toward the med bay, trying not to jar Martha's broken form more than necessary. As he laid her on a bed, she let out an agonized cry. It broke the Doctor's hearts to see his normally strong companion so vulnerable. He decided that her consciousness could be attributed to her unyielding strong will.

"Martha, squeeze my hand if you can hear me," the Doctor said as he slipped his hand into hers. He felt a very faint squeeze and smiled wide. "Good, great!" he exclaimed. He began looking over her terrible injuries. Dislocated knee, shattered tibia, and several gashes that would require stitches.

"This is going to hurt, Martha... a lot," the Doctor warned as he prepared to reset her knee. "One, two, three," he counted, and then with a sickening crunch popped Martha's knee back in to place. Without missing a beat, he set her badly broken tibia. Martha let out a strangled scream like the Doctor had never heard before. It was a scream of pure torture.

"I'm so sorry, I wish you had been out for that," he said as he gently stroked her cheek. The Doctor placed a kiss on Martha's forehead before preparing his supplies to suture her wounds.

He got to work immediately. After numbing her cuts, he carefully sewed them closed and covered them in clean gauze.

"Martha, do you think you can drink some medicine for me?" the Doctor asked gently as he brushed his hand across her cheek. He paused; her skin was burning up. He grabbed another cup of medicine to lower her fever.

"Okay, I'm going to help you sit up," the Doctor said as he slid a strong arm behind Martha's back and lifted her into a sitting position. Her head slumped to the side and she moaned quietly.

"Try to drink this, it will help with the pain," the Doctor prompted as he stuck the straw in her mouth. "It tastes like bananas!" he added happily.

Martha took a feeble sip and coughed weakly. She continued sipping the medicine until the cup was dry and the Doctor replaced the tasty banana medicine with the very bitter medicine to lower her fever. Martha took a sip and gagged violently. The Doctor apologized quietly, but insisted that she drink as much as she could. She swallowed two gulps before choking on the thick syrup. The Doctor offered her water which she tried to chug, but the Doctor pulled it away.

"Ah-ah-ah, little sips or you'll make yourself sick," he admonished. Martha sipped the water until it was all gone. The Doctor helped her lay back down and uncovered her leg to bandage it so she couldn't jar it in her sleep.

The Doctor wrapped her leg gently but firmly to help keep the swelling down and keep it still and aligned.

"Try to get some sleep, the medicine will work while you're resting and you'll wake up feeling much better," he said as he knelt by her bedside.

"Doctor?" Martha whispered. Her voice was raspy, but the Doctor was relieved that she was able to speak at all.

"I'm here, Martha," he said, stroking her hair gently. "You're safe."

"I know," she said, smiling weakly. Her eyes drooped with exhaustion. "Thank you."

The Doctor smiled down at her. "Sleep," he said gently cupping her cheek. Her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep instantly. The Doctor placed a kiss on her forehead.

"I've got you."


End file.
